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As it turns out, the "thief" who took her car did so by mistake - his key somehow managing to open the door on the vehicle.

Once the "thief" realised he had taken the woman's car instead of his own, he drove to the petrol station and filled up the petrol tank before returning the car.

Police said woman even reimbursed the "thief" for the petrol.

"Although it doesn't appear either vehicle was left running, it serves as a reminder that vehicle thefts do occur during the winter months when vehicles are left running and unattended," Canadian police said in a release Monday.

Halifax police spokesperson Cpl Dal Hutchinson told the Toronto Star that such situations are rare, but also admitted he's mistaken a car for his own before.

"I jumped in, turned quickly and looked—and the woman sitting in the passenger side wasn't my wife. My wife was in the next vehicle watching this, laughing," Hutchinson said.

The incident has been described as the most Canadian car-thief story of all time.